Well, I have slightly changed the way I draw eyes. That's the only thing other than momentary felicity which might account for it.

I enjoy doing cross-hatching, and would've done so more liberally (perhaps might next week) if it hadn't been half-past-twelve by the time I'd finished inking the outlines. It is rather influenced by Edward Gorey, as Tim said in another thread, although I don't think I'd take it to the extraordinary lengths he did in things like The West Wing. And the smoke and the unidentifiable thing were equally fun to draw: broad impressionistic brushstrokes aplenty.

what is that in the first panel, a plate of beans? bravo on the improvements, by the way... this strip was a real breath of fresh air. i was pleasantly unprepared for the way you did the smoke. and the arrows caused me to laugh.

I thought it was my imagination, that Sybil did look extra good in today's strip. I'm glad you mentioned the eyes, James -- I went back to a few of the older strips, and there's a definite difference; nay, a definite improvement, in the characters' appearances.

I remember, long ago, my discomfort in a kitchen being close to Alex's. Of course, I never set anything on fire (in the kitchen, anyway...my magic room is a different story, though.... ) The first time I baked bread from scratch was a true experience... I could have used the results to brick up the hole in Alex's wall!

Hortmage, The Magic Gardener
Making Environmental Education Fun AND Magical!

Matt Trepal wrote:You've captured the essence of batchelor cooking. Yes, that milk carton brings home many memories. All of them chunky and foul-smelling.

That would be the primary reason that the only milk in my kitchen is of the dried variety. Of course, this means that I never prepare any meal that calls for more than trace amounts of milk, as the flavour and smell of dried milk is nastier than that of the old, curdled, liquid variety. If I do need significant quantities of milk, I plan ahead, buy a fresh batch, then throw the leftover milk away the moment I'm finished with it.

<--- Temporary Avatar (I was feeling naked because you couldn't see my clothes)

Not as incomprehensible to those of us 'cross the Pond, unfamiliar with British cinema, as the previous bit. Been there, briefly, but live here, alas. Especially in these current days, alas. But that's another thread.

Never had Alex's experience cooking, having been trained from an early age by a Mum expectant that her offspring would not have to marry straight away to survive. Done a lot of cooking for single friends who hadn't learned basic survival skills, however, and been bemused by the war stories that emerged from their respective kitchens.

The technical-manual style, with the arrows and all, struck home nicely. Being a technical writer, I find it amusing when the styles I work with professionally are absconded with for the purpose of entertainment.

Bravo. Always good to get to Friday and find a new installment. The humor, often sardonic or underplayed, with tones of finding the humor in an otherwise challenging situation, appeals to me so much more than strips where the punchline is delivered with a rimshot and a smirk. When's the book coming out?

Tarliman wrote:Never had Alex's experience cooking, having been trained from an early age by a Mum expectant that her offspring would not have to marry straight away to survive. Done a lot of cooking for single friends who hadn't learned basic survival skills, however, and been bemused by the war stories that emerged from their respective kitchens.

Well, as I speak the college hostel I live in is suffering from a blown fuse caused by someone who will remain nameless attempting to fill a kettle by plunging it into water. The fuse happened to supply two fridges. (Thankfully not in the kitchen I myself use... but, as if to compensate, someone's spilled some aged noodles across the floor of that one. And my cooking pan's full of dried fudge. And so on.)

Tek Roo wrote:If I do need significant quantities of milk, I plan ahead, buy a fresh batch, then throw the leftover milk away the moment I'm finished with it.

An old bachelor trick, if I may pass it on: Buy milk that is "lactose free" and has a screw top on the carton. It typically has a shelf life in the refrigerator some four to eight times as long as regular milk.

Instead of what "date", you only have to worry about what "month" it expires. Since this is available in regular, 2% or skim, you can suit your own tastes in that regard.

Re: Strip size -- I agree with Gloria. I would love to be able to draw at that size, but I would need a ledger-sized scanner, which is cost-prohibitive. On the other hand, large expanses of white space intimidate me, so maybe it's for the best.

Re: Milk -- I have discovered opaque plastic milk containers at my grocery store, which seem to prevent spoilage. I'm not sure exactly how this works compared to translucent bottles, since the inside of the refrigerator is fairly dark, but it does.

Matt Trepal wrote:Re: Milk -- I have discovered opaque plastic milk containers at my grocery store, which seem to prevent spoilage. I'm not sure exactly how this works compared to translucent bottles, since the inside of the refrigerator is fairly dark, but it does.

Now, are you SURE that the inside of the refrigerator is dark? Have you actually checked it?

I think the easiest way to prevent milk from spoiling is to have a teenager in the house....

Hortmage, The Magic Gardener
Making Environmental Education Fun AND Magical!

LevelHead wrote:An old bachelor trick, if I may pass it on: Buy milk that is "lactose free" and has a screw top on the carton. It typically has a shelf life in the refrigerator some four to eight times as long as regular milk.

Hey! I'll look into that! See? You learn all sorts of stuff here.

LevelHead wrote:And by the way, Gloria, I have just started into your story.

Yikes! Guinnie Piggies!

Matt Trepal wrote:Re: Milk -- I have discovered opaque plastic milk containers at my grocery store, which seem to prevent spoilage. I'm not sure exactly how this works compared to translucent bottles, since the inside of the refrigerator is fairly dark, but it does.

I once knew, and have since forgotten, what light does to milk. Beer on the other hand... nah -- I'd better not. I can go on for hours explaining what happens at the molecular level of beer when placed in a clear or green bottle that gives you that lightstruck/skunky odour that the green-bottled continental lagers are famous for that we all know and love ::blech::

Now, where is that icky-face emoticon that I ordered a while back? And be sure to look for me in the Letters section of CAMRA's What's Brewing. The battle for brown bottles has begun!

<--- Temporary Avatar (I was feeling naked because you couldn't see my clothes)

I've just learnt from a fellow kitchen-user that you're not meant to chill red wine at all. I'd thought you just had to remove it from the fridge in order to get it back to room temperature beforehand. Ah well. (I drank it anyway.)

As for strip size: you don't actually need a scanner much bigger than A4. I scan my strips in two halves and glue them together in an appropriate art program. (It becomes very important to get them straight, though.) But there's definitely something to be said for drawing on A4. It must be quicker, for a start. And you don't need to use absurd amounts of ink / strange pens to get thick lines.

JimRob wrote:As for strip size: you don't actually need a scanner much bigger than A4. I scan my strips in two halves and glue them together in an appropriate art program. (It becomes very important to get them straight, though.) But there's definitely something to be said for drawing on A4. It must be quicker, for a start. And you don't need to use absurd amounts of ink / strange pens to get thick lines.

This is true, but when you draw a 24cm by 8cm (16.5 for a "Sunday" strip) then every little slip up sticks out like a sore thumb. True you can fix most of these in PhotoShop but you can't fix all the line wobbles. I think I've vastly improved artwork wise to combat this, but if I want to get more detail in (say, I half decent background or show more of the characters then just from the whist up) I really should make them bigger. I really should replace my scanner, as mine is a archaic piece of shite, so I might look to see how much a big one costs (I'm far too lazy to split the strips up like Jim does).

i ain't too proud to scan the thing in two pieces. of course, i also was not too proud to just quit doing comics altogether. makes sense? a new strip's in the works, though, i think, so all of this stuff will be relevant for me again very soon.